Various technical solutions are known of elasticized hinges for the articulation of the temples with respect to the frame of a pair of spectacles, attached to the temples themselves, and each comprising at least a male hinging element pivoted to at least a corresponding female element protruding from a respective lateral zone, or endpiece, of the frame and able to function as an abutment and support for the temples, both in the closed condition and in the open condition, both during opening and during closing of the temple.
The male hinging element comprises a tie-rod able to slide with respect to the temple having one end pivoted to the female element, a bushing attached inside the temple and with respect to which the tie-rod slides, and an elastic means which exerts an adjustable pressure against the bushing.
Other embodiments of elasticized hinges provide to replace the tie-rod with a box-like structure, solid with the male hinging element, which houses the elastic means, while the male hinging element is in any case hinged to the corresponding female element which protrudes from the endpiece of the frame.
In both these techniques, in order to make the device effective, it is necessary, however, that the bushing be attached to the end of the temple, so as to guarantee the compression of the elastic means, and hence the thrust that the latter makes in order to keep the temple normally against the frame. This attachment is normally made by applying screws or pins, or by making a boss or similar on the temple, in correspondence with the zone where the bushing is positioned.
Another type of known attachment provides to introduce a ball between the bushing and the temple, as described in the European Patent EP-B-0166822 in the name of OBE-Werk. This solution in any case repeats the state of the art as described above, wherein the female element protrudes from the frame of the spectacles.
Another form of attachment of the bushing to the end of the temple is described in the European Patent EP-B-0003928 in the name of LAMY & Fils, wherein the bushing is thrust by the elastic means against the bottom of a compartment in which the tie-rod slides. This solution is not only difficult to achieve and actuate during the assembly step, but also has the disadvantage that the male element must necessarily be pivoted to a female element that protrudes from the frame.
In these and in other known elasticized hinges, in order to ensure a correct pressure of each temple against the relative endpiece, apart from the normal and adjustable pre-loading, it is necessary to have a supplementary compression of the elastic means during the assembly step, as well as a centering and application of the screw, or join pin, to pivot the male element to the female element and to ensure the desired alignment of the male and female elements of the hinge.
Also because of the limited size of the parts to be hinged, these operations constitute a very difficult and demanding working and assembly step for the workers.
Moreover, the fact that the female elements or, in some cases, the male element, protrude from the ends of the frame is a problem later in the bossing step, since these parts have to be individually protected.
Not least of the disadvantages of known solutions are the high cost, the complex assembly and the difficulty of finding spare parts.
One purpose of the present invention is to achieve an elasticized hinge which allows to hinge the temples in an elasticized manner to the relative endpieces of the frame of a pair of spectacles, simply by bringing close the female elements and the male hinging elements, that is, without needing to exert supplementary compressions of the elastic means, in order to allow the alignment of the female elements and the male elements.
Another purpose of the invention is to achieve a hinge that allows to determine the correct degree of loading of the elastic means, so as to ensure over time the desired degree of elasticity of the movement of each temple, without this load being subject to variations when it is joined to its frame.
Another purpose of the invention is to ensure the bushing is stably joined to the temple without needing pins, screws, or bossing or otherwise.
Another purpose of the present invention is to make a hinge having an extremely limited cost and whose hinging elements are invisible and do not protrude from the temple and from the frame, so that no protection has to be provided during the bossing steps, and at the same time to ensure a long-lasting cleanliness and duration of the hinge itself.
Yet another purpose is to achieve a hinge which, together with the possibility of a normal elastic horizontal opening of the temples, also allows an adjustable orthogonal, and also partly rotational, opening of the temples, also in the event of knocks or irregular strains; also, to make possible a determinate pantoscopic adjustment of the frame.
Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.